Resident Requirements

To establish Missouri residency and qualify to pay in-state fees, you must meet specific criteria. The Office of Admissions has the official residency requirements. You must apply prior to the first day of class. You may only petition once for each semester. Each petition is reviewed individually. It’s your responsibility to provide copies of the requested information. Download a Petition for Missouri Residency.

In order to cooperate as fully as possible with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, the following rules shall apply at the University of Central Missouri for the determination of the residency of any student or prospective student for all purposes, including, but not limited to, assessment of educational fees and eligibility for restricted financial aid.

B. Definitions:

(CBHE Rule) "Residency" or "Resident Status" shall mean that status which is achieved when sufficient proof of a domicile within a state is presented.

(CBHE Rule) "Un emancipated Minor Student" shall mean any student not having attained the age of twenty-one (21) years, and under the care, custody or support of the individual or individuals having legal custody of said students.

(CBHE Rule) "Emancipated Minor Student" shall mean any student not having attained the age of twenty-one (21) years and who is not under the care, custody and support of an individual or individuals having legal custody.

(CBHE Rule) "Domicile" shall mean presence within a state with an intent of making the state a permanent home for an indefinite period.

(CBHE Rule) "Adult Student" shall mean any student having attained the age of 21 years.

C. Student Classification Categories:

(CBHE Rule) Adult Students. If an adult student, not a resident, shall present sufficient proof of the establishment of a domicile within the State of Missouri, said student shall be granted resident status at the first enrollment following the establishment of said domicile.

(CBHE Rule) Un emancipated Minor Students. The domicile of an un emancipated minor is presumed to be that of the individual or individuals having legal custody of the student. If those having legal custody of the student establish a Missouri domicile, that student shall be granted resident status at the first enrollment following the establishment of the Missouri domicile. Once un emancipated minor students have established resident status under this rule, they may continue to qualify for resident status so long as they remain continuously enrolled, excluding summer terms, in a Missouri institution of higher education, even if the individual or individuals having legal custody of the un emancipated minor students cease to hold Missouri resident status.

(CBHE Rule) Emancipated Minor Students. The domicile of emancipated minor students shall be determined as if they were adults. A minor may become emancipated through marriage, formal court action, abandonment or positive action of alienation on the part of the minor. In all instances, alienation from care, custody and support shall be complete and the burden of satisfactory proof of emancipation shall be that of the minor student.

Mere absence of the student from the domicile of the individual or individuals having legal custody of that minor student shall not constitute proof of emancipation. In no instance shall a minor student be eligible for emancipation when that student is taken as an income tax deduction by a second party other than a spouse.

(CBHE Rule) Members of the Military Forces. Students shall neither gain nor lose resident status solely as a consequence of military service. For the purposes of student resident status, military personnel, when stationed within the state of Missouri pursuant to military orders, their spouses and un emancipated minor children shall be regarded as holding Missouri resident status. However, a member of the military forces who is specifically assigned, under orders, to attend a Missouri institution of higher education as a full-time student, shall be classified, along with their spouses and un emancipated minor children, as if they had no connection with the military forces.

(CBHE Rule) Noncitizens of the United States. Students who are not citizens of the United States must possess resident alien status, as determined by federal authority, prior to consideration for resident status. Aliens present within Missouri as representatives of a foreign government or at the convenience of the United States or Missouri governments and holding G visas shall be entitled to resident status, except for those who are government-funded students. Aliens and their dependents holding A or L visas may be granted resident status if determined to be individually designated as representatives of their governments and whose education is not government-funded.

Refugees and Persons Granted Asylum. A student who is classified as a refugee or as one who has been granted asylum by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service and who has been granted permission to remain in the United States shall be granted resident status, if there is proof of the establishment of a domicile in Missouri. Presence in the State of Missouri for such a person shall begin with the date indicated on the alien registration card.

University Staff or Children or Spouses of University Staff. Any full-time academic or administrative, service, or support staff member of this University, or the un emancipated minor child, adult dependent, or spouse of such staff member shall qualify for resident status when enrolling as a student at the University of Central Missouri.

Graduates of Missouri High Schools. A graduate of a high school located in Missouri, whose parents (or legally appointed guardian or custodian) are residents of Missouri at the time of the student's graduation from high school and whose initial registration at the University occurs at the beginning of the next academic term, excluding summer terms, following graduation from high school, is presumed to be a Missouri resident so long as he or she remains continuously enrolled at the University of Central Missouri.

D. Factual Criteria in Determination of Resident Status

(CBHE Rule) Attendance at an institution of higher education shall be regarded as a temporary presence within the state of Missouri; therefore, a student neither gains nor loses resident status solely by such attendance.

(CBHE Rule) The burden of proof of establishing eligibility for Missouri resident status shall rest with the student.

(CBHE Rule) In determining resident status for the state of Missouri, either of the following shall be sufficient proof of domicile of a person and their dependents within the state of Missouri:

Presence within the state of Missouri for a minimum of twelve (12) immediate past, consecutive months coupled with proof of an intent to make the state of Missouri a permanent home for an indefinite period; or

Presence within the state of Missouri for the purposes of retirement, full-time employment, professional practice or to conduct a business full-time.

(CBHE Rule) In determining whether a student holds an intent to make the state of Missouri a permanent home for an indefinite period, the following factors, although not conclusive, shall be given heavy weight: continuous presence in the state of Missouri during those periods not enrolled as a student; presence within the state of Missouri upon marriage to a Missouri resident and the maintenance of a common domicile with the resident spouse; substantial reliance on sources within the state of Missouri for financial support; former domicile within the state and maintenance of significant connections while absent; and ownership of a home within the state of Missouri. The twelve month period of presence within the state does not, in and of itself, establish resident status in the absence of the required proof of intent.

(CBHE Rule) The following factors indicating an intent to make the state of Missouri a permanent home for an indefinite period shall be given less weight than those in subsection above and include: voting or registration for voting; part-time employment; lease of living quarters; a statement of intention to establish a domicile in Missouri; automobile registration or operator's license obtained in Missouri; and payment of income, personal and property taxes in Missouri. The factors listed in this subsection have applicability only as they support the intent to make the state of Missouri a permanent home for an indefinite period.

E. Educational Fee Assessment Rules

Rates Assessed. Residents of Missouri as defined in the residence rules will be assessed the Educational Fee at the Missouri resident rates. Students who are not residents of Missouri as defined by these rules will be assessed the Educational Fee at the nonresident rates.

F. Duty to Register Under Proper Residence

It is the duty and responsibility of each student seeking admission to the University to apply and register under the proper residence and to pay the proper amount of fees. It is the further duty of each student, if there is any possibility that the nonresident fee credit is applicable or if the student is subject to restrictive admission or other nonresident regulations of the University under these rules to raise the question with the Office of Admissions prior to registration.

G. Residency Appeal Process

Undergraduate Students

Applicants
The University of Central Missouri’s Office of Admissions will be responsible for initial determination of undergraduate residency status upon application. Petitions for Residency will be distributed and processed by the Office of Admissions. Two levels of institutional review will be provided as directed by the Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management. The second review will result in a final decision.

Current Students
Undergraduate students who believe they have established residency should file a Petition for residency with the Office of the Registrar. Petitions for Residency will be distributed and processed by the Office of the Registrar. Two levels of institutional review will be provided as directed by the Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management. The second review will result in a final decision.

Graduate Students

Graduate students should obtain residency application materials from the Graduate School and submit the completed application to the Graduate School. Current Graduate students must submit a Petition for Residency to the Graduate School. Two levels of institutional review will be provided as directed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The second review will result in a final decision.